Ankara,December 13 (AseanAll) — The Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Türkiye have vowed to continue working together to further promote their trade exchange to reach the target of US$1 billion set by their leaders in 2018.
The commitment was made during the bilateral meeting between Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen and Numan Kurtulmus, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Türkiye in Ankara on December 12, 2024.
The two-way trade between Cambodia and Türkiye was recorded at only around US$350 million in 2024, far behind the said target. Therefore the visit of Hun Sen and the joint efforts of both countries’ leading political parties will boost the realisation of the target by prioritising economic, trade, and investment opportunities.
Numan Kurtulmus affirmed that Türkiye will continue to build new bridges of cooperation with Cambodia. The country has opened a cultural centre in Phnom Penh in cooperation with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and signed an education cooperation agreement. Currently, 25 Cambodian students are studying in Türkiye, and more are expected in the future.
For his part, Hun Sen encouraged Türkiye to look east, that is, towards Asia, and Cambodia will coordinate with ASEAN countries so that Turkey becomes a full dialogue partner of ASEAN.
Besides, Hun Sen and Numan Kurtulmus exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest. They stressed the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries around the world, and agreed not to support unilateral sanctions.
Hun Sen invited Numan Kurtulmus to visit Cambodia at his appropriate time, and the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly accepted the invitation.
The official visit of Hun Sen to the Republic of Türkiye was made at the time both countries are celebrating the 65th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties and after they have opened their embassies in each other’s country.